I'm Not Cold Hearted
by Boonothing
Summary: Regina Mills is the cold hearted Mayor of Storybrooke. She doesn't really like anyone, she is all professional, she doesn't have time for anyone apart from her son. That is until Emma see's her in the diner with a mysterious young girl. Emma is determined to find out more about the girl that Regina smiles at. This will have eventual Swan Queen, and there will be mentions of abuse.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, this is just a fic idea that's been in my head for a while and i finally decided to write it out. Concerning my other fic Foster Parents, i may continue it I've just hit a road block on ideas of where to take it. So yeah, give this a chance, i love reviews. It will be Swan Queen eventually. This is Kind of AU I guess, it's the same settings but sort of different story. xx

Oh yeah, Once Upon a Time is not mine, I own nothing but this fic.

The Mayor of Storybrooke, Regina Mills, was standing at the counter at Granny's diner, waiting for her coffee to go. The diner was pretty much empty, a few people taking up a couple of booths, and one Emma Swan, the Sheriff, at a table by herself. Regina rolls her eyes at the blonde woman as she hears her laughing.

_'Probably the comic strip, immature child'_

The Mayor thinks to herself.

"Here you go Madame Mayor" The older woman's thoughts are interrupted by the bright and bubbly waitress, Ruby Lucas.

"Thank you Miss Lucas" Ruby's smile didn't fade at the coldness in Regina's voice. The bouncy woman nods happily at the Mayor before turning back to the kitchen.

As Regina turns to leave, the bell above the door chimes. A teenage girl enters, with dyed red hair and piercing blue eyes, which brighten the minute she spots Regina.

"Hey Regina, I'm glad I caught you before you had to go to work" The red haired girl walks toward the Mayor, whose eyes flash with concern.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, yeah everything's good, I was just checking to see if I'm still taking care of Henry tonight" All concern is washed from Regina's eyes.

"Of course, thank you for doing this tonight Cassie" The sincerity in the brunette woman's voices causes a certain blonde haired woman to look up, confusion in her eyes.

_'I….is she being….nice. No it has to be some sort of act'_

Emma focuses her eyes on the two woman standing near the diner door, she sees Regina place a hand on the teens shoulder and smile at her; a real smile.

_'Whoa, that's just weird'_

"Okay then, well I'll see you tonight, seeya Regina" The brunette rolls her eyes playfully at the young teen.

"Goodbye Cassie" With that the red head turns and leaves.

Regina watches as she walks down the road, not noticing the blonde sheriff come up behind her.

"Well well well" Regina jumps at the voice right behind her, she turns to face Emma, her eyes narrowing as she sees it's her.

"Miss Swan, what on earth do you think you're doing?" The brunette says, with power acting as if she didn't just get startled.

"Did my eyes deceive me or did the one and only cold hearted Mayor of Storybrooke just flash a real human smile?" Said Mayor just rolls her eyes at the blonde's words, "Who is she? I haven't seen her around before, and you don't smile at anyone like that apart from Henry."

"Who she is, is none of your concern Miss Swan. Now if you don't mind I have to get to work" Regina turns to open the door, "Shouldn't you be working as well Sheriff?" She calls over her shoulder before leaving the diner.

**Fairy-tale World**

"No please, let go of me I'll do it, please don't put me down here" A very young Regina pleads to guards who pulling her along.

"You are now King Leopold's wife you should have done your duty of consummating the marriage and you have refused to do so. The King has ordered you stay down here until you do so"

"I just said I'd do it, please don't lock me down here" She practically begs the guards.

"You are to stay here as a punishment for not doing what you were told straight away" The guard turn and leave, Reina still shouting for them. She finally gives up when her throat becomes soar. She walks to the back of the cell she's been placed in, down in the dungeon. She leans against a wall and slides down it; her hands coming up to her face as the tears come streaming down.

The only sound of Regina's crying is broken by a shy, quiet voice.

"Please don't cry" Regina's head snaps up at the voice, she tries to push herself further back into the wall. "My father once told me that beautiful things shouldn't cry"

"Who are you?" There was no answer; "I asked you a question" Regina speaks with as much power she can muster.

"Please, I mean you no harm, even if I wanted to I couldn't get any closer to you than I am now" The brunette scrunches her eyebrows in confusion, she pushes herself up and away from the wall and walks towards the voice. She gasps as the figure comes into light. A badly bruised girl, sat on the floor leaning against the cell door, her ankle shackled to one of the bars.

Regina kneels down to the girl; she reaches her hand out slowly to brush away some hair in her face. Regina scans the girl's body taking in every bruise, every cut, it was difficult to separate what were wounds and what was just dirt. She looks at what she's wearing. It looked to be a slip, but it had been cut, badly, to rest just above the thigh. The poor girl was barely covered.

"Are you not freezing? I'm more covered but even I can feel the chill" Regina asks the girl.

"Does it really look like I have a choice? I'm lucky to be wearing anything." The small girl snaps at her. She sighs heavily before speaking again, "I apologize, that was uncalled for"

"No, no I wasn't I saw the." She points to the chain around her ankle," It was silly of me to say I should be the one apologizing" The younger girl offers her a weak smile.

"So I haven't had company in a while, why are you down here?" The girl breaks there silence. Regina, still kneeling in front of the girl, casts her eyes down to the floor before answering.

"I was married to the King today, I didn't do as I was told" The chained girls eyes widened, she struggles to push herself onto her knees and bows her head.

"Your highness, I apologize for my rudeness earlier, I should not have even spoken in your presence"

"I already forgave you, don't do that" Regina takes a hold of her chin to pull her face up so she was looking at the girl, "I'm down in this dungeon to, there is no need to knees" The girl looks hesitant to sit back, "Please sit back, your knees have cuts that could very well be infected, I don't want you to worsen them." The young girl nods before moving to lean back against the cell." The pair sit in silence until Regina breaks it.

"My name is Regina, What's yours?" The girl looks back up to stare at the older woman.

"Ariel, my name is Ariel"


	2. Chapter 2

Any mistakes are all mine. Enjoy.

"When do you go up to bed?"

"Upstairs to get ready at 9:30, in bed by 10". Regina stops her movements to send a look towards her son, who, in return, shrugs at her, "I figured its Friday, no school tomorrow" Regina's eyes roll playfully at Henry.

"Fine" Regina continued to move around the room, making sure everything was clean for when Cassie arrived. As soon as she stopped, giving the room the all clear, there was a knock at the door.

Regina walked out of the living room to the door, opening the door with a smile, expecting to see Cassie, turned into a look of surprise at the blonde haired woman standing at her door.

"Hi" Emma greeted with her smirk.

"Miss Swan, what are you doing here?" Regina asks, impatiently.

"Well we never really finished our conversation at the diner earlier"

"Yes we did, I left the diner. That was me finishing out little conversation, putting an end to it"

The pair of women just stood, staring at each other.

"Are you going to let me in?" The blonde asks, breaking their staring contest.

"No, I'm headed out."

"So you need someone to look after the kid?"

"No, I have someone coming over already, and even if I didn't I wouldn't leave my son"

"Our son" Emma mutters interrupting.

"**My **son" Emma opens her mouth to argue, but is stopped by a new voice from behind.

"Sorry I'm late Regina, swim class didn't let out 'til late, and…" Cassie stops walking when she spots the blonde woman at the door. The girl steps up the stoop to stand next to Regina, "Sherriff Swan, what a pleasant surprise to see you here"

"She was just leaving, just as I was; now you should find." Cassie interrupts Regina's motherly talk.

"I know where to find the first aid kit and food, and I can cook it too, I did learn from you after all" The red head smiles up at Regina, before looking back at Emma. "So business meeting" The young girls says, looking between both women, smirking, "Okay sure I'll make sure Henry only knows that."

"What…Cassie that's not." Regina tries to deny the girls words, while Emma just stands there, looking baffled by her words.

"Of course it's not" She winks at the pair, while pushing Regina out of the door, "You two have fun" Is the last thing she says before closing the door on them. Regina and Emma are both still in shock.

Emma is the first to recover,

Emma shakes her head, snapping herself out of this state of mind.

"You taught her how to cook?" Is her next question.

Regina rolls her eyes, coming back to herself, turns and walks down the path away from the other woman.

"Hey don't leave me with these unanswered questions woman." Regina comes to a halt. She turns around right into the face of Emma, barley an inch between their noses. The brunette has fire in her eyes, caused by the blondes constant questioning. The sheriff raises her hands in mock surrender. "Okay, just at least tell me why out of everyone in town, apart from Henry, it's her you're nice to"

Regina breaks eye contact to look towards the ground, almost guiltily, before snapping them back up to meet the blondes.

"I made a promise a long time ago, and I intend to keep it." With that said the older woman turns on her heel and walks away once again, leaving one thought in Emma's mind.

_'I'm going to find out more about the girl'_

**Fairy-Tale World**

"How did you come to be here?" Regina asks the young girl sitting next to her.

"It's a long story" Comes the short reply.

"I don't really have to be anywhere", She smiles at the girl.

Ariel releases a sigh before speaking.

"A while ago, I'm not sure how long, probably a few years, the Kings men came onto my family's lands. My brothers and I were playing when our father shouted at us to go and hide. My brothers grabbed my arms and we ran off towards the woods. I remember hearing horses hooves hitting the ground. I told myself not to look behind me, but I had to; so I did, I turned my head just in time to see my father get run through with a sword and my mother's throat get slit. I felt numb, my brothers were still pulling me along but I didn't really register with me. I only came to my senses when I saw a knight coming closer." Ariel stops to wipe the tears from her eyes, angrily.

"I tried to make my feet move faster but I couldn't, and the knights, they had caught up to us. The next thing I know my brother's had been stabbed and died instantly and I was pulled up onto a horse." Ariel turns her head away from Regina, not wanting to see her face as she tells her the next part, "Next thing I remember is waking up in a bedchamber on a bed and the King entered. He had a smug smile on his face, feeling accomplished for the kills and his little prize." She spits out. "Then he's taking off his clothes and mine and, well you can piece together what came next." The young girl didn't bother to wipe away the tears rolling freely down her face.

Regina moves closer to the girl to pull her into a tight embrace.

"I Promise you I will do everything I can to help you" Ariel pulls back, eyes wide.

"No, no you can't the last Queen she…" Ariel stops afraid to say the next words, looking away.

"Ariel, look at me" Regina says in a soft motherly tone. The girl looks back up at Regina, "What happened to the previous Queen?"

"She found me down her, she promised to help get me out of her. The king found out and had her killed" Regina's eyes widen in surprise, "That's why you can't help me, you'll die too"

"I have already made the promise and I'm not going to go back on it." Ariel lets out a sigh at Regina's stubbornness. "How did the kind manage to send an army out for you and your family without the Queen knowing?" Regina wonders aloud.

"I'm not sure. He's the King; I guess he just has that kind of power." Regina only hums in reply, lost in her thoughts. She turns to speak once more, only to find Ariel asleep, against the cell bars. She gently moves the girl until her head is in Regina's lap. She runs her fingers through Ariel's dry, messy hair, comforting her in her sleep. It's not long before Regina joins her in sleep.


End file.
